“While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:15-17).

It is absolutely true that Jesus ate with tax collectors. It is absolutely true that prostitutes and men and women of questionable sexual practice found themselves in the company of Jesus.

The tax collectors and sinners seem comfortable around Jesus.

It is absolutely true that tax collectors and sinners were loved by Jesus.

However, Jesus did not eat with tax collectors and sinners because he wanted to be inclusive, tolerant, and accepting. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners to call them to repentance. If we miss that we miss the whole point of the cross.

Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. That’s why Jesus ate with sinners. That’s why you and I have hope.

If you are a sinner, Jesus is great news!

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).

There are a couple of passages in the Bible where it makes me wonder – Is he serious? What if he really means it?

This is one of those passages.

A few things about this:

• That we are to forgive is a given. And we are to forgive who have sinned against us. This is not about who’s at fault or who is wrong. We have been sinned against. The other party is guilty. AND Jesus expects us to forgive them
• So much so when we do not forgive, Jesus says that we will not be forgiven either.
• Yikes!!!

Even when we forgive others, the pain, the scars, and the residual discomfort are all still there. Even after forgiving others, all this remains. The past is still the past. Nothing has changed.

But, when we forgive others what changes is our future. While forgiving others cannot change our past it can absolutely change our future. What God is more interested in is our future.

Lastly, forgiving others does not mean that we do not hold people accountable for their actions. That would be irresponsible. There are consequences that cannot be reversed even though the individual can be forgiven.

The reason why Jesus takes forgiveness so seriously is because your future is tied to your capacity to forgive.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

What ever is:

• true
• noble
• right
• pure
• lovely
• admirable
• excellent
• praiseworthy

Think on such things.

I want you to take your time and read through those words again slowly. Think about something in each of those categories.

When we run across lists like this in the Bible, lists like this always point to more things like this. The Greek and the Hebrew did not have an “etc.” The way Greek and Jewish writers would express “etc.” is to make a list of like things. The implication is that other like things apply.

The second thing is that the verb “think” from “think on these things” is written in the imperative. It’s a command. You see, we don’t accidentally think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy, etc. Our brains are not wired that way.

That’s why you can have hundreds of neutral to positive interactions with people in a day, the one that sticks is the negative encounter: the guy that flipped you the bird on Bridgeport Ave., or the rude barista, or the argument you had with your spouse, etc.

You don’t even have to work on thinking about such things. They already rule your thoughts.

That’s why we are commanded to think on these things.

You know why? Because if you don’t fill your mind with God’s truth, the devil will fill your mind with his lies of fear, anxiety, worry, stress, anger, jealousy, temptation, etc.

So, this day, think instead on these things.